How to Sharpen Your Blade

Stainless Steel Blades

Before you sharpen your knife, please read this entire section. For stainless steel knives, you should first perform a cursory inspection of the knife by holding it near a reflected beam of light and looking down the length of the blade. This will allow you to easily observe the condition of your blade and determine the appropriate stage of sharpening (see below) that you should use.

Sharpening Your Knife

Profero advises that you refrain from using grinding wheels or other power-driven equipment to sharpen your stainless steel knife. This will cause your blade to temper and will also invalidate your warranty. Instead, you should always use a sharpening stone to sharpen your knife.

Profero recommends that you use a diamond sharpening stone to sharpen your knife. Diamond sharpening stones are sharpening stones coated in micro-diamonds. Since diamond is one of the hardest substances on earth, it is a very effective sharpener for flat blade knives. Diamond sharpening stones are available as wet or dry stones. Wet stones require the use of water or honing fluid to become effective. Profero suggests that you use petroleum-based honing fluid instead of water since it provides maximum effectiveness. However, be advised that if you choose to use honing fluid instead of water on your sharpening stone, you stone will not be as effective if you subsequently use it with water.

When sharpening, be sure to use plenty of honing oil on your sharpening stone. You should use enough so there is a visible build up on the stone.

If your knife has a serrated blade or a hook, sharpening your knife will require a different type of sharpener than a traditional flat blade.

Stage 1: Rough Cut Sharpening

Stage 1 sharpening is recommended when your blade is very dull, nicked, or has inconsistent edges. For this stage, you will need a coarse grit sharpening stone.

To sharpen your blade, you will need to grind the knife blade against the stone in a stroking motion. You may prefer to use straight stroking motions or circular ones. You may also prefer to either use longer or shorter strokes to sharpen your knife.

When sharpening, it is important that you pay careful attention to the angle of the edge of the blade. Generally, you will want to sharpen the blade to the original angle of the knife. Profero knife blade angles in new condition are typically 12-16 degrees. However, you may slightly increase the angle of the blade to increase the sharpness. Please be advised that tweaking the angle of the blade will weaken the blade and make it more prone to damage. Incidentally, if you chose to angle your blade beyond original Profero specifications, you may invalidate your warranty.

Make sure that you apply steady pressure when the blade is in contact with the sharpening stone and also be sure that you maintain a consistent amount of pressure when sharpening your blade. Many beginners make the common mistake of applying too much pressure at the end of their stroke rather than using a more continuous motion.

There is no set rule on the number of strokes that you use to sharpen your blade. However, to avoid inconsistent edges, you should perform the same number of strokes on each side.

Sometimes, you may observe a nick in the blade. Nicks must be removed before you move on in the stages of the sharpening process. To remove a nick, focus on the nicked portion of the blade and grind down the nicked area until the nick is completely gone. Then concentrate on the entire blade length and attempt to even the blade out.

Stage 2: For Dull Blades, Quick Touch-Ups and Final Sharpening.

Medium to Final Sharpening = Fine Grit Sharpener

Once you have removed all the significant imperfections on the blade, you are ready to move on to Stage 2 of the sharpening process. Before proceeding to this phase, clean your blade and make sure the blade is dry.

For this phase, you will want to sharpen your blade with a finer grit diamond stone. Add oil to the stone and continue to use the same steps that you used in Stage 1. However, you will apply less pressure on the blade than you did in Stage 1. This process will remove the scratches produced during Stage 1, as well. If you regularly sharpen your knife you will be able to skip Stage 1 and start directly with this stage when sharpening your knife.

Stage 3: Fine Sharpening for a Slightly Dull Blade and Finishing Touches.

Final Sharpening = Natural Stone

Stage 3 is the final stage of the sharpening process and requires an even higher grit sharpening stone. For this stage, use the same stroking motions used in Stages 1 and 2. Remember to apply honing oil to the stone and periodically wipe your blade to remove grit residue. Continue sharpening until scratches are removed from the edge of the blade and the blade is sharp.

Serrated Blades

Serrated blades are sharpened differently than traditional flat blades. Because of their unique construction, it is important to obtain a specially made taper sharpener to sharpen serrations. Be advised that serrated blades are very easy to damage during sharpening and should only be sharpened when absolutely necessary.

To sharpen a serrated blade, place the point of the sharpener in each serration and push the point into the serration. By twisting and rotating the sharpener, you will be able to sharpen each serration point. Performing this process will enable you to reshape each serration to a degree of sharpness similar to the blade's original condition.